ROME: Italy reported Monday a jump in the death toll from the coronavirus to 52, with more than 2,000 people infected, most in the country's northern Lombardy region.
The civil protection agency said 18 people had died since Sunday -- including three in Emilia Romagna -- all of whom were either elderly or had serious pre-existing medical conditions.
Some 166 people remained were in intensive care, while 149 patients had recovered since the epidemic hit Italy, it said.
The World Health Organization said Monday that the number of new coronavirus cases registered in the past day in China was far lower than in the rest of the world -- but the situations in Italy, South Korea, Iran and Japan were concerning.
To date, more than 3,000 people have died globally from the new virus, while nearly 90,000 have been infected around the world, according to AFP's latest toll based on official sources.
Italy is Europe's worst-affected country. It has carried out over 23,300 tests so far, largely in the wealth north, where 11 towns have been placed under quarantine.
Tourist hotpots including the Duomo in Milan reopened their doors to visitors Monday, but access was limited to avoid overcrowding in a bid to stop the disease spreading.